KULHAR
noun, singular: kul-har
Hindi
A kulhar (or kulhad, sometimes called a shikora) is a traditional handle-less terracotta cup from North India and Pakistan. Typically unpainted and unglazed, it is designed to be used once and returned to the earth.
The question of the takeaway cup has, in recent years, sparked widespread exploration across materials, function and systems of distribution. How does material affect flavour? What does true sustainability look like? How might community-led models of use and reuse work in practice? These are questions that remain open, and under active consideration.
As we shift from disposable to reusable, a secondary issue emerges. Reusable cups, often made from plastic-based materials, can themselves become part of a cycle of short-term consumption. Their environmental impact, when viewed over time, calls into question whether they offer a meaningful long-term solution.
Taking its inspiration from the traditional kulhar, our 2021 Art + Industry project centred on the production of clay cups. Looking back to earlier forms of making, where clay was shaped into vessels of all sizes, forms and finishes, The Kulhar Project reconnects material, process and use. At its core, it is an attempt to draw together the coffee-loving community through the act of making.
We debuted this travelling, interactive installation at the London Coffee Festival in September 2021, before touring coffee festivals across the UK. Visitors were invited to engage directly, exploring the space between sustainability and creativity.
At each installation, participants had the opportunity to create their own clay cup through a guided, tactile ceramics throwing process. The resulting pieces, whether functional, experimental or somewhere in between, were exhibited both physically at the festival and shared digitally. The act of making, and the variability of outcome, became central to the project’s thinking around value, use and sustainability.
The project was developed in collaboration with CUP Ceramics, an open-access ceramics studio based in Herefordshire. Through their facilities and expertise, the project extended beyond the festival environment, supporting skill development and highlighting the therapeutic and communal aspects of working with clay.
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